Zeroed out
by The Sand Assassin
Summary: If a clock could count down to the moment you meet your soul mate, would you want to know? Kaito x Shinichi
1. Chapter 1

_**I started on this story about a year and a half ago, and it just sat here piling dusts for months. I decided to just post the first chapter in a hope it'll force me to want to finish it. This story is for Addy, who picked out two prompts from a list I gave her. The first one was telepathic!Shinichi (which is written in 'Mind Spectre') this is the second one.**_

 _ **You don't need to know or have watched the movie 'TiMERS' to understand the premise of the story, but if you haven't, I recommend it. Its an interesting movie**_

 _ **This story is unbetaed, and I apologize for any writing mistake as I'm not a native English speaker.**_

 _ **Published: 05.06.2018**_

 _ **Wordcount: 8.3K**_

 _ **Summary: If a clock could count down to the moment you meet your soul mate, would you want to know? Kaito x Shinichi**_

 ** _Title: Zeroed out_**

 ** _Chapter 1_**

In the early twentieth century, there was a company who started supplying a way for individuals to discover when they would meet their destined partner in the form of a countdown. The procedure was relatively simple, the devise was surgically attached to the wrist of your not-dominant hand, the TiMER tells you the very moment when your soul mate enters your life, and the rest develops naturally in order to give people a head start, and one won't need to stress through life trying to find a partner.

Naturally, Kudou Shinichi was sceptic to the whole thing when Ran approached him with a blush adorning her cheek the day after he turned fifteen – being the minimal age of consent. However, no amount of doubt could make her reconsider getting one, and only if he would accompany her to the nearest TiMER operative centre. His feet had tripped nervously as he sat next to her a few weeks later, eyes wandering back and forward wondering how on earth he had been talked into this predicament.

Although, in the bottom of his heart he was desperately hoping Ran's timer would be blank – indicating that her soulmate had not gotten their TiMER – as it could signify that he and Ran was destined to be together. In the last few years his feelings for her had blossomed into _love_.

"Are you sure you don't want to have one?" Ran asked from where she was sitting on the bench waiting for someone to come assist them. Her brown hair reached to her shoulders and curled towards her cheek and a lock would brush over her chin every time she moved – he rather liked her with short hair, but she regretted cutting it and so was going to let it grow out again. There was a hint of nervousness from her, and every few moments she would lick her lips.

His eyes followed the motion for a silent moment, before letting his eyes dart downwards and he curled his fingers into the fabric of his jeans. "I don't see why I should abide to a scientific device to find the person I'm supposed to fall in love with. I mean, neither mine nor your parents had access nor need for this technology –"

Ran's eyes lowered, and a flush of sadness spread across her features, and his stomach clenched in guilt. His fingers prickled with the need to reach out to her and apologise. He knew how troubled her parents' relationship was – they clearly cared for each other deeply, but perhaps things would have been better if they knew for certain if they should be together or not? He knew Ran did not wish to fall into the same trap – unhappily in love without wanting to break away from the relationship.

Shinichi scratched his cheek instead and looked the other way. "Maybe some reassurance wouldn't be too bad, that way you don't spend the rest of your life either stressing trying to find your soulmate or discovering too late that they are arseholes."

The sentence was more than worth speaking when Ran's face lit up in hope, and she reached out to squeeze his hand in gratitude. His heart fluttered in his chest and he barely managed to suppress the flush creeping up from his neck. How much he wanted to be that one special person to Ran – to love and cherish her like she deserved. She was beautiful and kind and everything Shinichi wasn't. He knew this even at this tender age how magnificent and special the girl was.

He held her hand through the procedure – which was very simple and only produced the same amount of pain to attach the device as to pierce one's ears, or at least according to Ran. They waited in silence for the few minutes it took for the TiMER to start up and make its calculations, and Shinichi felt panic soaring through his veins. Ran kept clutching his hand desperately with a pained expression as she held her breath.

What would the devise reveal? Had he lost any chance to court Ran like he wanted too? Albeit wait until they were a little older first. His heart was palpitating in his chest and he swallowed in nervousness. His eyes flickered to the thin, oblong screen on Ran's wrist. It was barely five centimetres long and one centimetres wide. The little screen was completely dark, with only four evenly spread letters on it: D – H – M – S. Days, hours, minutes and seconds till the device ran out. The TiMER would run out at midnight with a soft melody, and within the next twenty-four hours you could meet your soulmate anywhere – the TiMER would play music again once you and your destined partner's eyes met.

It was a relatively simple – rather anticlimactic, love at first sight thing just without the actual jolt of romantic feelings, Shinichi thought cynically and a little bitterly at the stripe of technology on Ran's wrist.

Nothing happened for the next fifteen minutes, and by the time the employees entered again to check up on them – they were both a lump of nerves. Ran's TiMER stayed blank – indicating that her soulmate had not gotten one implanted as of yet. Shinichi was relieved – it proved he still had a chance to win Ran's heart.

He had sworn his childhood friend and crush looked relieved also, as she peered at him through her eyelashes. "Are you sure you don't want one either? What if –" she cut herself up quickly with a flush blossoming on her cheeks.

Shinichi's eyes darted downwards, his heart palpitating in his chest from both giddiness and hesitation. What if they were meant to be together – would it be so wrong to have that information verified now? Indecision churned in his mind, he did not have much belief in the TiMER system, but with Ran seated next to him, and their fingers still interlocked, his heart flickered with hope. Before he knew what was happening, he had already inclined his head in affirmation.

The pain from the implantation was slightly more than a painful pinch, and he had not been able to look Ran in the face as his eyes were glued to the small screen. He had to force himself to not trace the device with his fingertips, and his heart had beat in his throat in anticipation and dread. This would be the moment of truth – would he spend the rest of his life with Ran, or had they never been compatible in the first place and any romance between them that would have happened naturally (or so he hoped) in the future doomed to fail from the start?

In the end of the day, his TiMER too, remained blank. And Ran and Shinichi was forced to wander home, avoiding each other's gazes, wondering if resorting to a machine had been such a clever idea in the first place. Unbeknownst to each other, they had both hoped that the TiMER would prove that they should be together.

Shinichi could not help to curse his weak moment – if he had never said yes, there would still have been a chance to date Ran. The TiMER be damned, how could a machine accurately pinpoint who your soulmate was? It sounded like pseudoscience at best.

His timer started to tick nearly 7 months later – and had that not been a shocking surprise to him when Sonoko had vaguely waved her hands in his direction with a noncommittal noise. When Ran had first seen it, her eyes had flashed with sadness for a fraction of a second. Shinichi had never considered the repercussions of it – he had been entirely too disappointed with the knowledge that Ran took the information to heart, and almost overnight there had grown a wall between them. They were still best friends, however no longer a growing romantic affection.

His TiMER would run out in 515 days, on the first of April, one month before his eighteenth birthday, and he resigned to that fact for the next year. He slowly started to wonder what kind of person his soulmate would be – if they were anything like _Ran_. Would they be older than him? What were they interests, occupations, where did they live, what were they doing right at this moment? It was impossible to tell, and a terrifying idea.

Sometimes at night, his heart would flutter in anticipation as he trailed his fingertips around the small, plastic screen with anticipation bubbling in his throat as he watched the seconds tick with a curious expression.

He only had fifty-nine days left on his TiMER when it happened. When he left Ran behind in _Tropical Land_ to chase after the men in black. It was an excruciating pain that started in his heart, and spread like wildfire through his veins. Even the nerves on his toes were burning from the lacing agony. With clenched teeth he had grabbed his wrist, his thumb pressing into the screen with a cry on his lips.

Shinichi would die here; he was certain of that. This would be the end – he would never meet his soulmate, would never have the pleasure of their company or exchange their names. And he had felt guilt ripple through him at the knowledge that he would never arrive to the destined rendezvous he had started to look forward to with curiosity the last few months. His wrist started to prickle, and his fingers started to slip from his wrist as they become coated in blood. His last thought before he blackened out was an echoing apology.

When he woke up anew, disoriented and in the body of a child, his wrist was still raw and bleeding as the TiMER had fallen off. A large crack was spread across the little screen, and he had barely had the time to pocket the device and slipped it into his pocket before the guards discovered him.

…

Kuroba Kaito only got a TiMER due to a dare. Someone had offendedly commented how Kaito, the Ekoda high school's residential trouble maker and magician, could not possibly have a soulmate. What kind of mental person could possibly survive being with him? So, in order to shut them all up, Kaito dragged Aoko to the closest TiMER office to do just that.

Nakamori Aoko was not thrilled at the prospect – she loathed the device more than anyone he knew. Her mother had procured one in order to justify her wanting to divorce her father. When the TiMER proved that her parents had not been soulmates – her mother's TiMER had started the countdown, her father had not. And so the couple had split, to Aoko's disbelief and disappointment.

Perhaps they were better off, but she firmly believed that you did not need any pseudoscientific device to tell you who you could and could not love. Kaito had ignored her protest, only grinned sheepishly and talking about how he would take her out to Tropical land with the 20.000 yen he would earn if the countdown started.

He had suppressed his nervousness, not taking the whole thing serious as he sat there charming the employees with magic tricks. When the TiMER suddenly started to peep as it started the countdown ten minutes later, he felt gleeful for proving everyone wrong – that there was a person out there that even he was destined to be with. It was not before later, that he realized his heart was fluttering in anticipation.

A little over five hundred days – that would be a few months before his nineteenth birthday. He could not wait to meet them, to sweep them off their feet and shower them with flowers. His excitement diminished the day he learned of his father's alter-ego, and as he spiralled into the underworld as _Kaitou KID_ and antagonized dangerous assassins, he wondered if maybe the whole TiMER thing had been a mistake after all. Not that he did not wish to meet them, one day, but to do so while he was the international thief with a reward on his head? He was worried he would be dangerous to whomever was out there.

And then there was the other issue –

"I think I made a mistake," his voice was barely above a whisper as he stared into the cup of coffee he was clutching between his palms. The grass was soft underneath his toes, and the sun hung low on the sky. Only a few marshmallow clouds drifted across.

"About what?" Aoko prompted when her friend did not say anything further. She lay on the grass, eyes wandering from the river to settle on the magician sitting next to her.

Kaito pursed his lips, not meeting her gaze. "With the TiMER. I'm not sure if it was such a good idea to get one so… flippantly."

She snorted. "I told you so, remember? The entire thing is idiotic. I knew you were a moron –"

He did not scowl as she spoke, and the lack of response made her sit up with a worry creasing between her brows. She put her hand on his knee and lowered her voice. "What provoked the sudden worry, Kaito? You only have seven months left, no?"

He gave a miniscule inclination of his head, and his eyes stayed glued on the cup. His fingers suddenly itched to trail his fingers against the thin device on his left wrist in a familiar gesture. "Yeah, but –"

Aoko pushed his shoulder gently but sternly. "Stop being a worry-hen. I'm sure she'll be great and love you – even if I don't support the means of getting to meet her."

Kaito's shoulders dropped, as concern started to churn in his stomach. "That's what I'm anxious about. I recently noticed I'm not –" he bit his lips and managed to keep down the distressed flush starting to creep up from his neck.

Aoko batted her eyes for a few seconds, and he could tell when understanding wavered through her. This time, it was her turn to avoid her eyes. "Oh – I see."

There was a throbbing silence between them for a long moment, before Aoko hesitantly breached the subject anew.

"So if –"

"I don't know," he mumbled softly, and then took another sip of the coffee. It had long since turned tepid, but he made no complaint.

"You never know," she bit her lip and peered at him through her eyelashes. "Your soulmate could be a boy."

He glanced at her with a disgruntled expression. "I highly doubt whatever program or calculation the TiMER works on, managed to figure out I was gay before I did. I could have sworn I was into girls when I answered the survey."

Aoko tapped her finger to her chin. "You never know," her voice was lit, in the way that suggested she was faking her cheerfulness in order to not depress him – and his heart fluttered in gratitude. He had once believed he had a crush on Aoko, but it had been nothing more than a passing fancy, even before he had installed the soulmate-seeking-countdown-device. "What if it was a girl? The brochure for TiMER's say _Soulmate_ , doesn't necessarily need to be for a romantic partner? Maybe they would just be your best friend, a person that understand you more than anyone? Or something akin to that."

"I'd never switch you out as best friend, who else would I annoy so much?" Kaito replied flippantly, a warmth spreading across his chest in relief over her words. Perhaps she was right? Regardless of gender, or if they would actually fall in love. He was sure whoever possessed the TiMER connected to his, would be awesome.

"I pity them already," Aoko deadpanned, however she could not keep down the mock-displeased expression as they shared grinned a moment later.

Kaito did not let himself wallow in the uncertainty. He would meet him or her when he did, and he could not change that. He wondered what they were like. Were they anything like him? What was their interests? Would they loath him for being Kaitou KID or – god forbid – be a zealot of the elusive phantom thief?

Then, with only fifty-nine days left, the TiMER gave out a pitiful peep, before dimming and turned black. The numbers disappeared and was replaced with only emptiness where they had once been ticking down for what felt like eternity. With a frown, he had tapped the device a few times, waiting it to start back up.

He had not been alarmed, simply believed there was something wrong with the batteries _– self-sufficient and charged by his body heat my arse_ – and went back to the TiMER Centre a few days later to ask for someone to fix the issue.

Kaito dutifully waited in queue, one hand clutching a cup of free water and he had sighed in boredom. His eyes wandered across the room, taking stock over the small-numbered inhabitants. A woman in her mid-thirties sat with a toddler in her lap, and a six year old girl sat next to her. She had dark hair, hazel eyes and tired creases around her eyes. Her shoulders were slightly hunched over and a large stain, most likely bile, on her old dress-shirt.

Something churned in the bottom of his stomach at the sight – this was a clear evidence of a woman who had taken terrible life decisions and partners on top of that. However, she clearly adored her children as indicated by the way she was constantly aware of every movement of both the toddler and the little girl. Kaito did not need to be a detective to deduce that she had come to TiMER for a last chance of true love – as conventional means had proven to be disastrous.

He almost stepped out of his spot in the queue to perform an unprompted magic show to lighten the mood, when it was finally his turn to approach the counter. The woman behind it had bleached blond hair, and wore a professional and tidy uniform as she gave him a friendly smile. There was a small plaque on her shirt reading: _Imari Karen._

"Welcome to TiMERS! What can I do for you? Today we have a special 2 for 1 price on implantations if you brought a possible soulmate candidate with you –"

"No, no," he interjected quickly, keeping a friendly tone, "I already have a TiMER. The battery seems to be faulty," he pulled back the sleeves of his jacket to show her his blank device. "It just made a pitiful beep the other day, so I just want it to get it fixed. I only have 55 days left –"

Imari's smile had fallen as he spoke, and he trailed off as something flashed in her eyes that made a breath hitch in his throat for no reason.

"Is something wrong?" he prompted when she did nothing but stare at him with large eyes. He glanced down at the TiMER on his wrist, and back to her with a curious expression. When she excused herself a moment later with a stuttering apology that she had to get her supervisor, he had a foreboding feeling gnawing in his chest.

"Well, that was certainly odd," responded someone behind him, and Kaito cast a look behind him at the origin of the voice. It was a woman in her mid-twenties, with gum-pink hair that barely reached her chin. A yellow star was drawn under her right eye, in a mimic of a beauty-mark. She wore a black top and a beige military jacket and a skirt that barely reached her knees.

Kaito tilted his head in curiosity. "You don't say. You here for your implantation?" His eyes lingered on her wrists, however he could not see anything peak up from the long-sleeves of her jacket.

She grinned. "No, just silently protesting against this whole organization."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Don't believe in the existence of soulmates?"

He got a shake of her head in response. "I do believe they exist. I'm simply against the whole capitalism of _true love_. It's wrong what they are doing you know: selling love for money. Earning millions from desperate people. Like the mother of the two in the corner –" she nodded towards the woman Kaito had observed earlier " – she has clearly given up trying to find a man on her own. Love should happen naturally, not because some algorithm said so."

 _She had a point_ ¸ Kaito thought. It was a popular protest against the whole TiMER enterprise. Although, in the mother's case, he might admit that perhaps it was better if she found someone she could know for a certain would be good with her kids, rather than jumping from one abusing man to the other.

The pink-haired suddenly flushed, and her eyes lowered. "Not that they are all that bad," she mumbled a second later in apology, as she remembered listening to the conversation between Kaito and the saleswoman – she knew he already had a TiMER implanted.

"To be honest," Kaito hummed with a dry smile, to show he took no offense. "I only have one 'cause I was sixteen, and someone dared me to."

She batted her eyes for a moment, before pursing her lips. "That's another issue. They should raise the age of consent – give people a better idea of exactly what they are signing into with this whole operation. I swear, in just ten years, we will have lost our social understanding of romance. By settling to know when we will find our soulmate, one will no longer need to chase them, earn their affection – hell, we won't know how to behave in a relationship when there is no point in trying and failing and checking the waters. The TiMER industry is destroying _love_. It's worse than arranged marriages."

Kaito ended up to only nod in response to her tirade – long since used to hearing Aoko come with similar arguments. He never got the chance to vocal any reply, as someone finally approached him. It was a woman in her early-forties and wore a pair of silver spectacles. Her face looked bland, however there was a clear twitch of uncertainty and distress in the quirks of her lips. The name plaque read: _Yashiro Naohiro._

"Excuse me sir, would you come with us for a moment?"

Kaito felt thoroughly unsettled at this point. He shifted his feet, glanced behind him at the bubble-gum haired woman, and then settled his gaze back towards Yashiro. "What's this all about? I want an explanation before I go anywhere with you," he said slightly unkindly, letting an edge of steel into his voice. He suddenly had a burst of adrenaline, followed by the urge to fight or flight – and unware of the reason behind why he was unsettled.

The employee did not look happy at his adamant refusal. She looked like she wanted to be here about the same as he did. She fumbled with her hands for a brief moment. "You might want to sit down –" she tried, but when Kaito looked unyieldingly, she sighed in defeat. Behind him, he could feel Bubble-gum (as he had dutifully named her in his head at this point) peek over his shoulder in curiosity.

"I just want to know if you can change the batteries or something on my TiMER, and then I'll be out of your hair."

Yashiro lowered her gaze. "It's not that simple," she whispered with a low voice, barely audible. "There is only one reason for an already activated TiMER to turn black." She peered at him with a hint of pity creeping in, which only increased as the seconds continued to tick by. "Your soulmate's device disconnected and went offline."

Kaito furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding what she meant. His heartbeat pulsated in his throat from the confusion bubbling in his chest. "I don't –" he started to voice his perplexity , but was cut off abruptly as Bubble-gum swore behind him and suddenly she retreated from his personal space.

Yashiro looked lost as she continued staring at him with unblinking eyes. The sympathy was no longer hidden, and he could clearly read her unease.

"What?" he growled into the oppressive atmosphere that had settled between them, feeling as though he was in the dark about something important concerning him.

"TiMERs are powered by body temperature," Bubble-gum started to mumble behind his shoulder, and he turned to glance at her. The colour in her face had drained, and her eyes looked a little glazed over as they were glued to a spot over his shoulder. "If, for whatever reason it goes offline, it would mean the source of fuel for the device is extinguished."

Coldness spread through Kaito's stomach at her words, and it only took him a few excruciating moments before understanding clicked in fully. Vertigo suddenly swam in his eyes, and he grasped the counter of the desk before his feet could buckle underneath his weight. " _No,"_ he barely managed to croak out as his throat constricted tightly. His mind churned in utter disbelief, going from ' _this has to be a morbid and evil trick_ ' to silently begging to wake up from this nightmare.

He increased his pressure on the flat, stone surface of the desk he was grasping, uncaring about the sting of pain traveling up his arm. "They could just – be hospitalized after an accident, surely?" he gritted through clenched teeth, eyes intense as he stared at Yashiro in front of him.

The older woman cringed from the gaze. Her hands fluttered with hesitation in a clear indication that she would have preferred to have skipped work this morning, rather than dealing with disastrous news. "It's possible, but highly unlikely," she finally managed to stutter out. "It's usually rectified immediately though, in order to not cause any unfortunate distress."'

Kaito slammed his fist into the desk this time, his hackles rising from being talked to as though he was a child. "I want to know who they are. I have to make sure they are alright," he hissed – the anger came easy and effectively masked the disbelief and grief that would come once the fury had subsided.

Yashiro blanched backwards, all colour in her face draining. "We – we can't. That's not – it's not –"

A hand landed on his shoulder, and he almost backhanded Bubble-gum from the tension in his body. "You can't. I'm sorry. The whole point of the TiMER is to know the timeline as to when you meet. You cannot go against destiny so to speak. You will meet when you meet, there is no way to change that."

Kaito was not remotely appeased by the soft spoken words, and his eyes narrowed. "But if _he's_ –" his voice choked for a moment, not knowing why he had attached a male-pronoun, and his words trailed off after that – refusing to say _dead_.

"Can I at least have a name, so I can make sure they are alive?" he mumbled instead with a soft tone. The anger drained out, leaving only exhaustion that seeped into his bones.

Yashiro lowered her eyes again. "I'm sorry, but we can't," she responded with a placating tone of voice – he knew she was not lying from the apologetic and sympathetic voice. "We don't store that information. In our time and day, anyone can be bribed or our computers hacked. There is no way to find out. I'm sorry."

Kaito's stomach dropped in disbelief, and tears prickled in his eyes from the sudden powerless feeling that washed through him. He shook off Bubble-gum's hand on his shoulder, before turning on the heels of his feet to stroll out. It was simply unfair – surely destiny had not come off course? With a determined expression, he fished up his cell phone from his pocket. His soulmate was still out there, he was sure of it, and he would find them. Consequences be damned.

"I need your help," he groused into the mobile as the recipient answered.

…

"I have done as requested, however I would like to voice my concerns and doubts about this entire objective. You may not like what you discover." Hakuba Saguru said with a mild and sympathetic tone that annoyed Kaito greatly. They were seated opposite each other in a café, and a stack of documents lay underneath the detective's fingertips, where he had been thrumming his fingers against the paper every few seconds. It was the only indication of Hakuba's hesitation and worry.

"I don't care," the thief responded without a second pause. His eyes were narrowed and cold as he glared at the detective – hoping he had not shifted opinion about helping out. "I need to know. It's imperative to my peace of mind." He leaned forwards on his elbows, and he scrutinized Hakuba's carefully neutral expression. "Would you have looked the other way?"

The detective lowered his gaze after a moment, and the fingers on his right hand reached down to pluck at the sleeves of his jacket on his left wrist where his own TiMER was located. Kaito knew his was still blank.

"I understand your worry, Kuroba. This is not an easy situation," Hakuba spoke slowly, formulating the words with care. "But you must understand the near improbable chances of success in your request. Whether or not your soulmate is still alive and well –" He held up a hand to stop Kaito from frowning as he continued. "We have to consider either possibilities. Hundred and fifty thousand people die every day. Pulling every single name in the entire world – and we must consider the chances that your soulmate might not even be Japanese or in the country for that matter – is impossible. And if they are simple hurt and hospitalized? Again, cannot know if they are in the Kanto region – or Japan. Their body might not even be recoverable for weeks to come. We lack sufficient information to track them down."

Kaito dropped his eyes and sat back in his seat. A mixture of disappointment, anger and sadness churned in his chest. He had known from the start that it was a lost cause, however – "I just need to know, Hakuba," he mumbled underneath his breath with a defeated expression. "Someone out there is either hurt or – or dead." His hand went to cover the small, plastic device on his wrist and he only barely managed to suppress the tears threatening to start to prickle in his eyes. "What if I never get to utter a simple ' _hello_ ' to a person who I'm supposed to care about deeply? I have forty-nine days left – forty – bloody – nine days left to find them, and possibly save them from whatever predicament they got into. I refuse to think them dead, I won't give up hope."

The detective was silent for a long while after Kaito's tirade. He took a sip of his tea, but his eyes never left the magician's face with a scrutinizing and intense expression as he mulled over his options – and Kaito left him to it. Instead his eyes were glued to the dark TiMER on his wrist, still mentally seeing the numbers ticking down slowly. However, now they felt rather like a ticking bomb when they in the past had promised bliss.

"Very well," Hakuba finally spoke. "I'll do what I can."

Relief blossomed in Kaito's chest, however it felt more like empty hope as the detective finally pushed the stack of documents of the information he had accumulated the last few days since the magician approached him for help.

…

Unsurprisingly, their search proved unsuccessful, but Kaito refused to give up hope. They had checked all the locale hospitals, morgues, and scanned over all the newspapers they could get their hands on. He sat up day and night in futile search for any clues as to what happened to his soulmate – and every day he woke up with disappointment churning in his chest as he stared at the blank TiMER. Part of him was hoping that it would come back online as the device on his destined partner was fixed.

No stones were left unturned, and today Kaito headed to the streets with a news article in his pocket. Hakuba had a point when he said there was a possibility his soulmate was not even in Japan, but that did not mean they should not pursue cases in Tokyo. Today's mission was to look into the disappearance of _Kudou Shinichi_ , who had possibly vanished around the same time as Kaito's TiMER had gone offline. Although, his only source came from a webpage honouring the prodigious detective written by stalking fangirls.

The last public sighting of Kudou had happened that evening, and with no other current leads it could not do any harm to look into.

Kaito took the train to Beika at seven in the morning, unable to sleep as ants prickled underneath his skin, making him restless. Kudou Shinichi's home was not available for search through the internet – with due cause, as both his parents were famous. Good thing he had a detective on his side who could look up such information legally – Hakuba had been adamant that their search did not break any laws.

Not like Kaito would tell him if he did.

Kudou's closest friend was a classmate with the name Mouri Ran, and so, at a little over eight in the morning, he stood staring up at the apartment she shared with her father. It also served as a Detective Agency, as indicated by the large letters reading on the building.

The name _Mouri Kogorou_ chimed familiar in his head, however he could not put his finger on where he had seen the name. There did not seem to be any lights from within either the agency or the apartment above, and Kaito sighed with frustration. He should have known being early might cause him to having to wait before he could make contact.

Looking around, he noticed a café down the road. The small plaque above the door read _'Poirot café'_. With another glance towards the Mouri residence, he turned on his heels and entered the café. The smell of brewing coffee and waffles washed over him immediately. It was a cosy joint, with comfortable-looking chairs and sofa. On the plaque above the counter read the internet password.

The waitress smiled at him as he approached the desk. She had a kind and warm smile, and a petite face framed by light brown hair. She wore a soft, pink sweater underneath a traditional apron. A small a name-sign on her uniform read: _Enomoto Azusa._

"Good morning, you are up early. What can I get you?"

Kaito smiled back, his shoulders slightly relaxing at the openness of her friendliness. His eyes scanned the menu for a brief moment. "I couldn't sleep. I'll just have a mocha, thanks." He paid for his drink and found a table by the window. The brown sofa, although not the prettiest furniture, was very comfortable, and he sighed into the seat.

Azusa came with his order a few minutes later, and he curled his hands around the warm and steaming cup. He doubted his search today would come up with any useful information. For every day that passed, it became a less and less a chance he would find them. Being a detective was definitely harder than he had imagined – every time a lead turned wrong, he felt his heart ache with disappointment. He just wanted _one clue_ , was that really too much to ask for?

The café door opened with the melodic chiming of a bell, and Kaito's eyes flashed towards the door immediately. The woman who entered looked to be around seventeen, with lavender eyes and dark brown hair. There was a flush on her cheek from walking through the cold morning. She waved to Azusa behind the counter with a friendly ' _good morning!'_

Kaito was baffled for a moment at the similarity between the newcomer and his childhood friend, Nakamori Aoko. Except Aoko's hair was messy, and her clothing a mismatch of colours. It only took him a moment longer to recognize her as _Mouri Ran_. He bounced from his seat and approached her with swiftness.

"Excuse me, Mouri Ran-san?"

Ran turned to glance at him with a curious expression, and for a moment her mouth popped open in surprise. Something flickered across her face, before she flushed darkly. The magician was puzzled by the reaction – before realizing that, due to an odd resemblance between him and Kudou Shinichi, she might have mistaken him for her childhood friend for a fraction of a second.

"What can I do for you?" she asked with a friendly smile, her eyes flickering across his features as she took stock of him.

"Kuroba Kaito," he supplied at her inquisitive look. "Can I buy you a drink? I'd like to ask you a few questions if that's alright."

A frown started to form between her eyebrows, and she glanced from him towards the door. Despite the hesitation, she still had an affable smile on her lips. "If this is about a case, I'm not sure how much help I would be. You might want to talk to my dad instead. He's a detective –"

Kaito shook his head in reply. "No, that's alright. I wanted to talk to you specifically. I'm looking for someone."

Something must have read in his features, because a hint of sympathy crept into her face. She immediately stepped forward to place a hand on his elbow with a soft shimmering in her eyes. His heart fluttered in his chest unexpectant in surprise. His first assessment of the woman had not been mistaken – she really was a kind and friendly person.

"Of course, whatever I can do to assist you."

Kaito relaxed and payed for her drink. A few minutes later they sat down at the booth, and his fingers curled around the now half-full and tepid cup of mocha.

"When was the last time you saw Kudou Shinichi?" he jumped directly to his questions, deciding not to skirt around the issue.

Ran frowned, her eyebrows knitting together as her eyes darted to the surface of the table in thought. "The second of February," she responded after a moment, and the magician batted his eyes for a moment at the accuracy of her reply. Most would have answered with a vague _three and a half week_. It was clear evident she was used to having to answer with precision after both living with a detective as a father and her best friend being a sleuth also.

Then his heart sped up at the realization it was the same day his TiMER had gone offline. He curled his fingers around the cup in an almost painful grip. "Did – does Kudou have a TiMER?" he blurted out unintelligently, the prickling hope and urge to _know_ getting the better of him.

Ran leaned backwards with a displeased expression and her eyes glazed over with coldness. "You are not one of those detectives who try to track down client's soulmate for money are you? Because that's just despicable –"

"No, no," he interjected quickly, his hear still hammering in his chest. "Of course not. That's not why –" he trailed off, unsure what he should tell her. He agreed full-heartedly with her distaste of those detective agencies who did that.

She relaxed when he denied the accusations, however there were still an attentiveness and protectiveness of her shoulders that told him she was still on the defensive over her friend. He needed to thread careful if he wanted any more answers from her.

"What is this all about, Kuroba-san?"

Kaito hesitated. He did not want to divulge the whole truth – he had no desire for sympathy from a stranger. However, he felt he needed to convey something to keep her from getting up and leave. He decided on a half-truth. "A friend of mine's TiMER's went offline on the second of February," – her eyes widened as she recognized what that meant – "I just want to help them figure out what happened."

Ran's eyes shimmered with tears as a sympathetic expression took over from the previous, hidden suspicion. "That's terrible. I wish I could be more of help, but I know for a fact Shinichi is still alive and well. He just had to travel away for an investigation, we keep in touched by phone."

The magician deflated immediately, as though someone had let out all the air in a balloon. His shoulders hunched over in clear disappointment. For a second there, he had believed he had finally gotten on the right path. The rest of their conversation blurred over in his mind, and he quickly excused himself a few minutes later.

Ran's hopeful; "Good luck on your search!" followed him out the door. He went home that evening with disappointment as the day had proven to be unproductive, and with a day less till the countdown ran out.

…

Time was running out, and he had only fourteen days left when Aoko approached him with worry. Kaito had black circles around in his eyes and clearly lost several pounds the last few weeks. His hands shook slightly from jumpiness and exhaustion – he had skipped as many classes he could afford in his desperate search. His entire Kaitou KID persona had been put on the shelf for now.

"Kaito," she mumbled with worry, trying to coach him out of his chair with firm hands. "You need to get some rest."

He shook his head adamantly, not letting his gaze of the ipad-screen on his lap. "I can't. Not until I –"

Aoko frowned and her lips thinned in displeasure. "You are ruining your health over this, you know. It's not good for you, you should just –"

"Let it go?" this time he did turn to search her face with a dull expression. "How can I just let it go? Somewhere out there –"

"You don't know that," Aoko grimaced. "It's been _weeks_. He or she is most likely already dead. You should put it behind you."

Kaito felt a sting of anger curl in his chest at her words, and he pulled his lips backwards in a sneer, however she interrupted him before he could voice his fury.

"You never even met them, Kaito," she spoke through clenched teeth. "If it wasn't because of that, that _device_ , you wouldn't even know about their existence." She kneeled down on the floor and grabbed his hands. Her voice was softer this time. "Please. You can't let some pseudoscience control your life like this. Hell, I thought you didn't really care about it all before this."

The anger subsided, and he dropped his gaze as he let the exhaustion wash through him. She had a point, he had been rather lax about it all. Never really thought _love at first glance_ existed. He had always just been curious who this person was, wanted to meet them – getting to know them. "You are right, Aoko," he mumbled. "I just – I just wanted to say hello."

She squished his hand with a soft expression. "I know, Kaito. Someone died, it's sad – terrible even. But you cannot let this tragedy consume your life. I'm sure, whoever it was, wouldn't want you to suffer because of them."

He could not meet her eyes, only gave a short inclination of his head. She was right – of course she was. Kaito had a tendency to obsess over things, but he had only wanted to know the mystery person's name. He felt as though he had lost something important – and perhaps it had been better if he had never gotten the damn TiMER in the first place. Then he wouldn't have known someone had died – people died all the time after all. Going through life knowing that your _soulmate_ was already dead, instead of spending it trying to search for them?

It was unfair.

He would have rather lived not knowing.

"I hate this," he mumbled into the air, and he clenched his fist.

Aoko stood and tugged on his arm till he stood. "I know, Kaito. I know. Let's get you to bed."

He flashed her a tired smile and was gently herded towards his bedroom. His spine ached from bending over the kitchen table for god knows how many hours. He would have to figure out a way to live with this knowledge, somehow.

…

Time continued to pass, and in order to keep himself busy the last few days, he threw himself into planning a new heist. If he could not meet his soulmate – he was going to mark the day. The pearl _The Black Star_ was the perfect target – and Aoko was even the one who forced him out to the museum to keep him from sulking.

He noticed immediately that it was a fake, however he had no intention of changing the date. He might not be able to steal it that night, but that was alright.

Kaito's heart hammered as he waited, looking down at the Haido hotel rooftop from the building ajar. The cold breeze caught his mantle and it fluttered around him. The charm on his monocle brushed against his chin almost softly. It tickled slightly, but he ignored it. His eyes were strained on the little device on his wrist – if he wanted to, he could pay to get it surgically removed. He had decided not to, rather kept it as a reminder that everyone had someone who loved them – and as such he would be sure no one he cared about would die on his watch again.

It was the 31st of March – at least for the next three and a half minutes. If the TiMER had still been active, it would run out at midnight. His heart quivered painfully in his chest at the reminder. He wondered slightly if anyone had been able to deduce his heist note – although, from the amount of crows in the sky, he doubted it as they were concentrated in the wrong part of town.

Jii-chan stood silently in the shadows – knowing that now was not the time for a conversation with his young charge.

Kaito continued staring at the blackened out screen as the phantom numbers ticked down to zero. For a fraction of a second, he almost heard the sound of a melody playing – however it was nothing but imagination created from wistful thinking. Today – the first of April – would have been the day he was to meet the person he had been waiting for the last year and a half.

For a moment, he wondered resentfully if the whole soulmate thing had been a giant April fools just for him. ' _Here is the one person that will love and understand you above all. And woops, you can't have him after all. Jokes on you for getting your hopes up!_ '

He shook his head sharply to escape the bitterness. He extended his glider and flew off the roof without a second thought. The wind flew around him in almost like a caress. As he approached the Haido rooftop, he retracted the wings and landed softly on the ground. He was slightly surprised to see he was not alone.

There was a small child standing opposite of him on the rooftop. The breeze made the fringes of his hair and his clothes dance, and lights from the city underneath them reflected in the glasses. He looked to be no older than seven, and was small even for that age.

As Kaito approached with curiosity – wondering if the boy belonged to a guest and had simply gotten lost in the labyrinth of the building. His heart fluttered of his own accord in worry – this was not a place for a kid.

"Yo, _bouya_. What are you doing in a place like this?"

The boy suddenly turned around, and before Kaito could react, he had ignited what looked like a rocket in a tin can. Even before he had made the connection, the rocket flew and exploded into multiple coloured lights.

"Fireworks!" the child exclaimed with glee, however, instead of watching the show, his eyes darted back to watch the approaching figure. The light-show reflected in the glasses, and Kaito suddenly got the curious feeling –

"Look. There's a helicopter! It looks like they've seen us," the chirp fell from the tongue with a swiftness, and there was a certain edge to his face, a twitching of his lips, that sent a shudder down the magician's spine.

"Kid. You are not an ordinary brat," he mumbled almost breathlessly in surprise. Only his many years working on perfecting his poker-face kept him from showing his bafflement. He reigned himself in quickly – now was not the time nor place to contemplate this curious meeting.

"I'm Edogawa Conan, a detective," he said, no longer trying to hide the smirk. He spoke the words with such pride and diligence that told the thief that the child meant every word.

"Oh?" Kaito responded, a grin etching itself into his face. He had not expected a new adversary for the evening, but now that he had been able to observe the situation, he felt a shiver of thrill down his spine. Something told him that _Edogawa Conan_ was a unique individual – the boy had figured out his heist note all on his own. That had been entirely unexpected.

And when he had effortlessly seen through Kaito's disguise a few days later anew on-board the cruise ship, the thief felt nothing but the thrill of the chase. The kid was dangerous, vicious, smart, possibly psychotic, but it would be an interesting game.

Somewhere between this new development and dodging footballs, Kaito had forgotten all about the TiMER and the lost soulmate.

…


	2. Chapter 2

_This was half of chapter 2. I never managed to finish it and I wasn't happy with it, but its been over a year since the last chapter, so I thought "half a chapter is better then no chapter". I did finish the last scene today, forcing myself to just finish the scene. Still not happy with it, but I hope you all like it regardless. Apologies for my tardiness._

 _Warning: some swearing_

 _Published: 08.10.2019_

 _Wordcount: 6.1K_

 ** _Chapter 2  
_**

"What is she like?"

Edogawa Conan – or Kudou Shinichi – blinked a few times, wondering about the sudden change in conversation. He had just opened his mouth to stutter out a baffled _'who?'_ when Ran continued. Her voice was lit and excited – for his sake.

"Your TiMER ran out a few days ago, right? I couldn't get in contact with you, but I suppose your disappearance happened for a reason. So – how is she? Is she great?"

His pulse suddenly skyrocketed in surprise – he had completely forgotten about the countdown. His eyes slid shut and his mouth turned dry. He had not had the time to worry about the whole _soulmate_ thing the last few weeks. He had been entirely too busy keeping his head down and not attract any unwanted attention. Perhaps he had already passed the person on the street that day – or perhaps their destiny had diverted and a new countdown had appeared in its place. He was not entirely sure how it all worked truth be told.

Shinichi did not have time to worry about the lost opportunity – it was something he would have to fix once he managed to regain his body. Perhaps it was better if they had not met yet, he did not want to put anyone else in danger just by approximation. However, what should he tell Ran? Swallowing down, he felt a tingly of guilt churn in his chest at having to tell _another_ lie to Ran.

"She – ehm, she's great," he cleared his throat, "just – just fine and dandy."

He could tell he had not remotely convinced her, as she let out a suffering breath into the cell-phone. It created a static that made the detective cringe.

"You better be a gentleman here, Shinichi. I don't care if she's destined to love you, quirks and all. _Be nice_."

"Oy," he mumbled in protest. "I'm always chivalrous, I'll have you know." He pressed his fingers into the soft fabric of his bowtie-turned-voice-modulator.

Ran snorted to convey her disagreement. "When will you come home and introduce her to me?"

This time, he ducked his head. He was building a pillar of lies everywhere he turned. One day, he was sure he would spin one so devastating he could not retract, nor return to his old life upon voicing. Shinichi was tired of hiding as _Edogawa Conan_.

"Not anytime soon, I'm afraid," he spoke softly, trying to not to let his bitterness seep into his tone of voice. "I have to go, bye Ran."

Before she could object, he ended the call and dropped against the nearest wall. When would all these lies end? In a few moments, he would have to go back into the Mouri residence, put on a smile and pretend as though nothing was amiss. The very thought felt exhausting – he was so tired from masquerading around. The only times he could truly be _Kudou Shinichi_ he felt, was whenever he chased the infamous international phantom thief, Kaitou KID. He could not hide behind Mouri Kogorou or any of his other 'puppets' at the heist.

The few stolen moments of his old life were refreshing, and something he sorely needed.

…

The third time Kuroba Kaito as Kaitou KID, stumbled over Edogawa Conan, was during his own investigations over the death of a famous magician in the disguise of the 21 year old medical student, Doito Katsuki. He realized the irony of stepping into the shoes of a detective for the case – but sometimes critics could be useful.

He had tried to keep down the terrified beating of his heart as they found the boy collapsed in the snow. Conan's care had been given to Doito – and Kaito suddenly felt very guilty for impersonating a medical student. If the detective was truly sick – or god forbid – dying of fever. He would not have been able to tell for sure. Kaito did as much as he could do with the little knowledge of medical knowledge he possessed – which was more than any normal civilian knew at least.

Keeping Conan warm and changed into dry-clothing and a pill or two was the most he dared trying. His eyes had wandered to the detective's wrist. Discoloured skin peaked out from underneath his large wristwatch. With an unbeknownst worried feeling, he careful pushed the device up so he could gleam at its secret. Only to lose his breath in dread. The discoloured skin was an ugly scar stretching almost all around it. It was red and spiky – whatever instrument had been used to create such a wound, it had definitely been dulled and painful.

Kaito swallowed down a spike of anger at the sight. It was an entirely too neat and surgical to have been thorn so ghastly by accident. Someone had deliberately cut over the vein, and he could not tell how deep the wound had gone, or if was just superficial. Whichever the case, someone had intentionally harmed the little, brilliant detective – possibly tried to kill him. They must have been acquainted to get close enough to inflict such damage, or perhaps this was the reason for Conan being so much more mature then most kids his age?

The magician's mind churned with so many possibilities, and a coldness spread across his insides. Without noticing it, he had started to trail the wound with his fingertips, and he barely registered the fluttering of the detective's eyelids as he returned to consciousness.

Conan froze, and a noise escaped his throat as he scooted away, bringing his wrist to his chest. His eyes reflected only the whiteness of slight terror, and his lips narrowed in order to take stock over the situation.

Kaito as Doito Katsuki lifted his palm to show he meant no harm, and he saw the detective visible relax a moment later as he recognized the placating motion. The magician let a comforting smile stretch across his lips, it was a stark contrast to the tremulous of worry churning in his stomach. Exactly how much did he know about _Edogawa Conan?_

"You collapsed, maybe you should try to get some more rest?"

Conan's eyes did not leave his features, however Kaito could tell his attention had shifted to take stock over the little bedroom they were currently occupying. A frown started to form between his brows. "No – I can't. Ran's in – dangerous," as he spoke, his eyelids started to quiver and slid down.

Kaito's heart suddenly fluttered in his chest at the clear worry in the boy's voice. Even at his tender age, he was fiercely protective over the woman – had the Mouri saved his life by taking him in as a charge? Where exactly was his parents?

"I'll take care of it," he found himself mumbling in a soothing voice, "I'll make sure nothing happens." He reached out for the detective, and even as Conan's eyes glazed over, he saw the miniscule inclination of his head that told Kaito the girl's safety had been intrusted to him. He felt oddly comforted and a little giddy at the leap of trust – even if it was towards Doito and not KID.

He grabbed Conan as he fell back into unconsciousness, and he carefully laid the small body back into the bed and tucked him in.

…

It took him a couple of seconds too late to realize it was a trap. By then, Aoko had already captured his arm and was dragging him towards the chairs in the middle of the floor. In hindsight, Kaito should have realized it was a deception when Aoko had offered to pay for their movie-tickets.

It was a large room, the kind that indicating it was used either as a theatre for amateur plays, or some sort of gymnasium. Or both. The walls were covered with white paint which was flaking off in certain areas. A table by one of the walls were filled with coffee and biscuits. Two dozen people milled about, either already seated on the chairs or crowding the free coffee.

"This is an AA meeting, isn't it?" Kaito tried half-heartedly, trying not to sound hopeful.

Aoko glanced at him with a frown on her lips. "You are not an alcoholic."

He deflated with a soured expression. "I'm allowed to hope, aren't I?" His eyes scanned the room, and he put the heels of his feet to the floor, adamantly refusing to budge no matter how much Aoko yanked on his arm.

"Stop being such a baby," she groused with a heated tone. "Just one meeting, please? If you don't like it, you don't have to come back ever again. I promise."

Kaito's eyes were unyielding as he glared at her. He was not an emotionally damaged individual. It was true he had been acting self-destructive the last few weeks of the countdown of his TiMER – but that did not warrant going to a TiMER support meeting. It was a ridiculous notion.

Aoko looked displeased at his unwillingness to cooperate. "Please? I have something important I want to tell you," she tried with a light tone of voice. "A secret."

Kaito frowned at her, trying not to take the bait. He opened his mouth to say how he knew everything that went on in her life. But the words froze on his lips. There was a certain openness and giddiness in her face that told him that she was telling the truth. Aoko had a secret she had not divulged to him, and suddenly his heart fluttered in his chest anew in anticipation.

A smirk stretched across her lips as she realized she had managed to convince him.

"You are minx," was his only response, but he followed her willingly this time as she yanked his arm.

"Oh, hello again."

Aoko and Kaito spun on their heels almost simultaneously as they jumped in surprise. The owner of the voice looked familiar – pink hair and wore a flashy outfit – and it took him only a second to realize it was Bubble-gum from the TiMER center. His mouth popped open in surprise.

Aoko eyed her for a second, before smiling at the newcomer. "I'm Nakamori Aoko, this is Kuroba Kaito."

Bubble-gum returned the smile, although her eyes did not leave the magician's form as she stared at him with a sympathetic expression. "I'm Miyara Yoriko. I'm glad to see you here, Kuroba-kun," her smile softened marginally, and Kaito barely managed to suppress his urge to lower his gaze.

"Yeah, well. Not like I had a choice in the matter."

Aoko glared at him, and he grinned at her with affection shimmering in his eyes.

Miyara glanced between them, before humming in approval. "You did a service to our country, Nakamori-san. You deserve a medal for your actions."

He did not try to suppress his aggravated groan. "Two minxes? Did I step into a portal to hell somewhere?" He did not get any further before Aoko elbowed him in the ribs, and he deflated like a balloon.

"These meetings aren't that bad, you know," Miyara chortled with a grin. "We are helping those who feel abandonment and lost after their TiMER goes offline. We are giving hope to those who feel lost after the loss of their pseudo-scientifically picked out Soulmates. Some turn depressed and even suicidal after such an occurrence. The news don't tend to mention this problem in our society."

Kaito avoided the girls eyes this time, feeling his heart hammering in his chest. He suddenly regretted letting himself be manipulated by Aoko's insistence he stayed.

"Kuroba-kun," a warm hand touched his arm, however he still did not meet the pink-haired woman's gaze. "Have you looked at our brochures at all? What the TiMER enterprise does is to give their uses a guarantee that their algorithm picks out a partner that has the highest percent chances of becoming a successful relationship. But that does not mean you cannot love anyone else just the same. Love comes in many shapes and forms after all. There are over seven billion people alive right now –"

Kaito let her words wash over him with prickling eyes. She had a good point – of course she did. However his loss was still raw, somewhere out there, an amazing individual had died before they could utter a single word to each other. He was mourning the loss of a friend, not a soulmate in this case. He listened to her words all the same, and by the time they exited the meeting, his heart felt a little lighter.

"So, what is this secret you promised to tell me?"

Aoko glanced in his direction as they walked towards the train station. Her lips thinned slightly, but her cheeks flushed. "I was hoping you forgot about that."

He lifted an eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes. "Fine, point taken." She then lowered her eyes, but a grin was twitching in the corners of her lips. "I'm dating Hakuba."

Kaito choked in disbelief, and spent the next few seconds coughing as Aoko patted his back unsympathetically.

…

Edogawa Conan spotted it only by accident, and at the time he was entirely too busy trying to stay alive to take any stock of it. There was an explosion to his right, followed by the sound of pattering of bullets across the rooftop.

Kaitou KID was crouching above him, a finger to his lips as he peered around the corner. It did not seem like the assassins had spotted them yet. KID had lost his hat a few minutes previously, and his hair was a mess of tangles from the harsh wind. A few strands of hair were glued to his forehead from where a trickle of blood seeped through. It had only been by pure luck Conan had noticed the sniper in time, or KID wouldn't have been able to dodge.

KID's face was carefully neutral; however the detective could tell the thief was worried from the tension in his shoulders and the miniscule clenching of his jaw. Conan was too exhausted to roll his eyes from the display – it was clear KID was trying to stay calm in order to not worry the detective. Sometimes he hated being in the body of a child.

He decided to not comment on it.

"You should make a break for it," the phantom thief spoke softly – the voice barely audible above the gunfire. "I'll draw their attention."

The heist had gone disastrously bad within minutes of entering the rooftop. The theft of the jewel had gone without a hitch, and in their usually matter, Conan had found himself on the rooftop looking down at the museum. As expected, Kaitou KID had appeared within seconds, looking pleased with himself. However, despite the ease in movements, there was a tension of anticipation in his shoulders as he peered around looking for the detective.

They had not even voiced a greeting, before Conan noticed the sniper aiming at KID's head. His heart had leapt as adrenaline soared through him in shock. He had barely managed to yell a warning before the top-hat had been shot clean off the thief's head.

"Not happening," Conan replied without a second pause. He was _not_ leaving anyone if death was a high probability if he could help it. He was not losing anyone else.

KID gritted his teeth as a flicker of aggravation flashed across his face this time – no longer able to keep his stoic poker face with the risk of imminent death just around the corner. "Do you ever listen to what your seniors say, detective-kun?"

"Not if their suggestions are foolish," Conan replied flippantly and scooted away from the thief so he could peer out of their hiding spot to take stock over their enemy. "How many hostiles?"

KID sounded miserable as he let out a puff of air. "Five I believe. Two in the opposite building, one guarding the entrance and two moving around."

Conan thinned his lips with a thoughtful expression. They were in a pinch. The exit faced the adjacent building, and he would bet one of the sniper's kept a lookout at the guard in case they managed to slip passed the crooks stalking the rooftop. If they moved, the other sniper would shoot them, and if they did not do anything, their hiding spot would be discovered sooner or later.

They were in a pinch, but neither the detective nor the thief was defenceless. If they worked together, they could get out without causalities. "How many cans of sleeping gas do you have left?"

"Enough," KID replied immediately, inching his head to regard the detective. The lights in the distance flashed off the monocle. Conan wondered for a moment if the face was the moonlight magician's real one. He was a master of disguise, there was a high possibility that it wasn't – on the other hand, if it was the real one, no one would believe it.

Whichever the case, it was an aesthetically pleasing one – and Conan could see why so many fans praised his appearance. Choosing a handsome and young face did have its advantages for the crowd. The detective's eyes trailed from the thief's features to regard the lean body, trying to gouge how many tricks he had hidden underneath the attire. It would be to their advantage if KID would reveal all of his accessible gadget – but he doubted he would get the whole truth if he asked.

As Conan's eyes flickered to the moonlight magician's sleeves, he spotted the hint of a small, rectangular device on the wrist. Conan's sped up for a moment at the reveal that KID had a TiMER – the brief glance he got suggested it had not started its countdown yet, before the thief moved his arm to yank the sleeve down.

For a moment, Conan was sure he had seen a flicker of sadness through the poker face. However, it disappeared as fast as it appeared, and the detective questioned whether or not he had seen it.

"What's your plan, detective-kun?"

Conan lowered his eyes, feeling suddenly embarrassed and guilty for prying into an intimate subject he had no reason knowing, and even though KID's voice was low and soothing, there was an undercurrent of edginess in the tone of voice.

The detective pushed the issue from his thoughts, and leaned in to convey the strategy he had come up with it. It was simple and inelegant, but it would get them to safety. The plan was executed flawlessly – lure the wandering guards to the sniper's blinds spot simultaneously – KID refused to let Conan play the bait, something that slightly aggravated the detective, however they'd had no time for any argument. In the meantime, Conan took out the assassin guarding the exit with his needle. Add a few cans of smoke and a few decoys had the snipers shooting wildly, not caring if they hit their comrades, and the detective and the thief managed to get back into the building.

They did not spare a second glance to see if anyone pursued them – there had always been a possibility that someone had been guarding the corridor with the order to shoot to kill anyone who entered from the roof. Thankfully, it did not seem to have been the case.

They finally came to a stop a few floors down by one of the many balconies. Conan's lungs heaved for air – lacking the stamina of a grown-up person. Being a child was a hinder sometimes. He grabbed his chest and leaned his back against the nearest wall in order to regain the lost oxygen. He let his eyes slid close, waiting for KID to escape while he was distracted – he might have exaggerated just a little to pretend he had not already decided to let the thief leave unhindered. KID had saved his life on the rooftop. If he hadn't reacted so quickly and swept Conan into his arms and hid, he would surely been shot.

Conan froze in surprise, when he felt the air shifting before a hand grasped his shoulders. His eyes slid open to stare at the regale image of Kaitou KID kneeling in front of him. There was a worried quirk of his lips as he regarded the detective.

"You alright? You weren't – hurt?"

Conan swallowed slightly at the concern: they were supposed to be adversaries. Who knew how many small injuries they had inflicted on each other already? His job was to catch the thief – not play the concerned babysitter so to speak. He felt unsettled at the sudden shift. "Only my pride," he responded after a moment thought, doing a mental check of his body just in case he had missed something while adrenaline had been pumping through his veins.

KID's lips quirked upwards. "Glad to hear it," a hand went into his jacket, and for a moment Conan's body tensed. He shouldn't have worried, as the thief withdrew a brooch with the targeted gem for the night. He took one of Conan's hands and curled his fingers around the jewel. "Not the one I'm looking for."

Before Conan could say anything – he burned with the curiosity to know what exactly that meant – KID was already climbing off the balcony and disappeared into the night on his glider. He shook his head, Kaitou KID was an enigma – one that did not treat Shinichi like a mere child, rather as a worthy opponent.

The fact he had listen to the detective's plan without a second pause was evidence enough. His heart fluttered on its own accord in gratitude.

…

The only evidence of a crime was a splatter of blood on the mahogany floors. The rest of the apartment looked pristine with its white curtains fluttering in the soft spring breeze filtering in from the open window. A bouquet of fresh flowers sat in a vase on top of a commode on the left. The police spoke with soft voices as they moved around the crime scene – not much could be done without a body.

The husband of the deceased sat on one of the couches, strategically placed so he wouldn't' be staring directly at the pool of blood. He had blond-dyed hair, and a strong masculine jawline. He was in his mid-twenties and had only recently gotten married. From the evidence of how he kept clutching his wrist, the marriage must have happened through a TiMER coupling.

"When did you realize something was wrong, Nakada-san?" Takagi's voice drifted to the locale Conan stood by the door next to Ran. Kogoro was discussing something further into the room with Megure.

The husband glanced up at the junior inspector with hollow eyes for a moment. There was a visible swallow as his Adam-apple jumped above the expensive white shirt he was wearing. "My – eh," he switched his balance on the seat, before he unclasped his hold on his wrist as he turned it around for Takagi to see. From the tension of the man's shoulder, the view must have meant bad news for the inspector. "I called the police immediately. Hoping –" his voice cracked and he spent a silent moment recovering as he finished the story with a quick mumble. "I was at work."

Conan did not understand the context of his words, and the confusion churned in his stomach. Very few times in his life had something happened which he could not comprehend – and he disliked not knowing. He turned to face Ran and reached out to grab her hand in order to get her attention. "Ran-neechan," he started with the most childish expression he could muster. "What are they looking at? I can't see."

Ran blinked down at him for a moment, before a soft yet sad expression spread across her features and made his heart palpitate in bewilderment. Exactly what was going on? She crouched down to come to his level – something he appreciated immensely that she was always so considerate.

"You know what a TiMER is, right Conan-kun?"

He nodded in response, his eyes immediately darting to her wrist, although he could not see it as it was hidden underneath her sweater. "It's an alarm-clock that counts down the days till you meet your soulmate," he replied, hoping to produce a smile on his childhood friend's lips. He had heard the detective boys use the exact same description in the past.

A smile did curl on Ran's lips, and the flash of humour chased away the sadness that had mirrored in her face. "That's right. But its more than that. The device is powered by body heat. As long as your pulse beat, it will always stay online – even before it starts the countdown or after it has zeroed out. If –" she hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickering to the floor as she seemed to struggle with the decision of telling him the truth. "if it ever turns dark, it means that the device belonging to your soulmate has disconnected."

She did not need to continue as Conan's stomach dropped at the realization. _So that's how Nakada Eisen knew something happened to his wife and called the police._ For a moment, he considered the fascinating aspect of the device – it would definitely be an advantage for police investigations knowing when someone died or if a kidnapped victim was still alive.

A chill suddenly raked down his spine, and his throat tighten on its own accord before he could place where the dread accumulated from. It was not before a moment later as his fingers curled around his tiny wrist that he realized.

Somewhere out there, a person walked around with an offline TiMER because of _him_. Someone who had thought he was dead for months – and he had callously not given them a second thought. He did not know them, but his body was suddenly flooded with feeling of utter guilt. How selfish had he been for scarring someone for life. Perhaps they had decided to keep wearing the device as a reminder of a lost love – or had it surgically removed immediately as the pain must have been unbearable.

Conan's leg started to shake underneath him, and he only managed to stand upright through sheer willpower. For some childish reason he had thought the only person he had hurt following after Vodka and Gin had been Ran – and the realization that he had cause more anguish threatened to overwhelm him.

Taking a deep but quivering breath settled his thoughts for a moment – he would have to ask, no, beg Haibara to take a look at his device. He had hidden it away in the Kudou manor in case he would need it again. Hopefully she could figure something out – maybe turn it back on just to give someone hope.

He bit his lip. _Don't be a fool Shinichi. Maybe they are better off never knowing you after all I've done. Shit. Why did I ever think it was a good idea to get the damn thing_.

He felt bitter for the first time in months – angry at his situation. He had been lulled into believing everything would be alright, but now, with this realization? He had forever lost something that could not be retracted. He might get his body back and restore his friendship with Ran. But without that device, how would he ever find his soulmate again?

…

Nakada Eisen's expression was twisted into an ugly grimace where he stood in the middle of a warehouse with a wrench clutched in his hand. His eyes, once a placating but sad brown orbs, were now wild with fury.

Conan might be backed into a corner, but he was far from defenceless as he clutched at his watch. He would already have used it at it not been for the woman towering behind Nakada's shoulder. She had light brown hair that reached to her shoulder blades. A small purse dangled against her side from where she had carelessly dropped it as she reached a gun.

"You are sticking your nose into things you shouldn't have," the woman said with a soothing voice that did not match the strained cruelness curling in the corner of her lips.

Conan balled his fist together as bubbling anger chased away the miniscule fear he had felt. "You are both despicable," he hissed through clenched teeth, and the couple shared a simple look before bursting out in laugher.

"You are too young to understand the concept of soulmates," Nakada rolled his shoulder before humming almost thoughtfully, "I suppose you will never understand at this rate."

The detective only shook his head in disbelief at their actions. From the very start of the investigation he had sensed something was off. Nakada Eisen had put a large inheritance on his wife before she had mysteriously disappeared and presumed dead due to the TiMER linking them together. The police had not questioned the coincidence as much as they should have.

Digging into their lives, Conan realized they were both con-artists – and they had used the society's presumption to swindle money by purposely removing Nakada's wife's TiMER. It was a troubling thought: no one had considered the repercussions of criminals being matched up with their true soulmate.

And this in a world where the industry wasn't legally allowed to store or divulge information about individuals – and it was not like they could refuse to match up criminals either. The TiMERs purposes were no longer simply to find your soulmate, but also to find perfect crime buddies. In its pure values the idea was good – in practice not so much.

He wondered if anyone had even for a moment considered how the whole industry could be used for nefarious reasons. It was a frightening thought.

"You wont get away with this," Conan told them – he had no intention of letting them, not with them taking advantages of a system created for love. He let the sleeping dart in his watch fly and as it hit Nakada, he ducked to roll away. The only sound that reached his ears as he hid behind a cannister was a body fall to the floor and a woman's voice call out in panic.

His hand fell down to his belt as he inhaled deeply in concentration.

"Come back here, you little rat," she hissed threateningly, "a simple child is not ruining our operation. Easiest money we've ever made. These devices are absolute brilliant: I don't see why everyone else isn't doing the same."

Conan clenched his teeth, but did not take the bait to reply verbally as he practically crawled against the shelf he was hiding behind. _Most people have moral values_ , he wanted to say. Most people wouldn't find every single opportunity to take advantage of every kindness for their own nefarious schemes.

The wife – Nakada Marise – ignored her fallen husband as she stalked towards the cannister – he could see her legs moving between the holes in the shelf. As she neared his location, he pushed a box straight into her feet, and she fell on the floor with a clutter of curses. Even before the fall, Conan had already darted around the shelf and snatched up the gun.

Without hesitating he turned it towards the woman. She was in the middle of a hissing rant when she noticed the metal pointed at her, and she froze for a second as her brain muddled over the problem. A moment later a lax smile crossed her lips as her tone turned sugary sweet.

"Now, _bouya_ , you might want to give that to me. That's not a children's toy," she slowly sat up on her knees as her eyes darted in the direction of her still sleeping husband. Her lips twitched downward in anger for a fraction of a second before turning sweet again as she focused once more on the child.

Conan ignored her immediately as he muddled over his options. He only had one sleep dart in the watch – which he had already used. He scanned the room for a piece of rope, however uncertainty niggled in his mind if he could get close enough to even tie her up without her struggling. She could easily overpower him.

The second problem was, he did not have a cellphone on him. He had the situation in hand for now, but if the husband woke up he would be in trouble.

Marise started to stand, and the waving of the gun in her direction with a warning did not deter her. Instead, she laughed. "You are not going to shoot me. The trigger is still on."

The detective's eyes flashed to the gun for a second to make sure – and she took advantage of the second of distraction. Before he had time to react, Marise threw the cannister at him. The metal hit him hard – being about the same size as him – and he stumbled to the ground. The woman was on him immediately, trying to grabble the gun from him.

"Let go you little brat," she hissed with enough venom to kill a rat as she scratched him in the face.

Being dizzy and disorientated, Conan hung to the gun with all the strength he could muster. A groan was forced out of him when she slapped him with more hands that should be physically possible. The struggle only lasted for a few seconds before she overpowered him and forced the gun from his grip. She pushed him down on the floor with her boot in his chest.

She stared down with a manic expression on her face. Her hair stood in every direction and her eyes almost glowed with glee. "That's enough from you, you brat. You should never have pursued us, if you had just let it go then you would one day get to meet your own soulmate. This was supposed to be the easiest and cleanest heist of my life. But fuck it, if I need to get my hands dirty again, I don't mind one bit."

Conan had frozen underneath her, his heart hammering too fast in his chest. His thoughts racing trying to figure a way out of this predicament. The world was almost in slow motion as he saw her trigger finger quiver. This was it, this was how he was going to die – in an abandoned warehouse with no one knowing.

He squeezed his eyes closed as a bang echoed across the warehouse. He could not breathe as his hearing dulled the world, he was waiting for the pain, for the dark nothingness of the afterlife. When nothing happened for several seconds, and his hearing restored as the sound came crashing back. He could hear the sound of soft swearing and harsh breathing. He dared to open his eyes a fraction, and his heart leapt in relief as he spotted the familiar figure of Ran holding Marise's arm behind her back as she pushed her front to the ground.

The girl's expression was tight with fury, but once she saw Conan staring at her, her face softened. "Are you alright Conan-kun?"

He sat up, his pulse still soaring with adrenaline. He had never been so happy to see Ran in his entire life. "I – I'm alright."

"Oh my god, are you kidding me? More brats? Fuck you guys, seriously. Just fuck off," the criminal growled as she tried to struggle, but she barely managed a twitch before she groaned in pain. "I can't believe this is happening. This is all your fault," she tried to kick the sleeping man, however she could not reach him.

"Easiest heist my arse, I should never had trusted you –" her babbling tirade was cut short as Ran put some more pressure on her arm to silence her.

The girl turned back to Conan once more. "Can you grab my phone and call the police?"

Conan nodded and got up from his position. His whole body ached as he did, but he walked off the pain as he reached Ran. Without hesitating he fished up the phone from her front-pocket. As he called the police he wondered how many times people had used TiMERs for crimes and gotten away with it.

The idea had his stomach feeling cold and heavy. Some people were utterly despicable using the system for their own good. Some people would never be paired up with a soulmate, some would lose them before they ever meet, and some apparently used it for crimes. He briefly wondered what good the system was when all he had experienced was the negative parts of it as his eyes darted towards Ran with a heavy heart.

…


End file.
